Switch



July 2, 1946. W. B. ELMER 2,403,063

SWITCH Filed Feb 1e, 1945 WITNESSES:

MMM

' INVENTOR Wil/iam B. Elmer BY FWZ Mfr/WU ATTORNEY Patented July 2, 1946 :aficionL SWITCH William B. Elmer, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor tot Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East-.Pittsburgh, Pa.,-a corporation of Pennsylvania Application lFebruary 16, 1945, Serial No. 578,156

7 Claims.

Vvices and, more comprehensibly indicated, relates to switchingdevices of particular, though notexelusive, utility for controlling the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of electric torpedoes .which otherwise have conventional shell, orhousing, structures.

According to prior art practice, a trigger lever is pivotally mounted in the torpedo housing so thatv an end projects from the housing and upon ring of the torpedo engages a dog in the firing tube. This dog, when the torpedo rapidly moves through the tube, engages the trigger lever to actuate it 'from a non-operated position to an operated position. .As `it moves to the operated position, switch contactsare closed or opened, depending on the circuit arrangement'of the starting gear, to contro1 electric circuits that cause either 'directly or indirectlythe operation of the electric "torpedo vpropulsion equipment and other equipment on the torpedo.

`It'isapparent that such dog `actuated switching devices are quite dangerous because the triggerlever maybe actuated accidently while hantiling the torpedo. While the arming devices Yare normally not operatedby such Vactuation of the triggerlever, the propulsion equipment is started by such accidental actuation ofthe trigger lever with theconsequent considerable danger to the personnel.

To obviate thisiconsiderable hazard, it -has been proposed .to provide inertia responsive starting switches operable upon vfiring of the'torpedo from the ringtube. Such inertia responsive switches do eliminate the possibility of effecting vthe accidental starting by Aobjects :contacting or scraping the torpedo shell. The dangerous condition is, however, not that easily eliminated.

Torpedoes are often subjected Vto jars and impacts during handling. ,Gun nre `ofthe ship carryingthe torpedo and relatively `minor shellhits made on the ship carrying the torpedo cause considerable accelerations of the torpedo 4with vthe result that the torpedo `propulsion equipment is set in operation.

One object of my invention is the provision of switching means for obtaining the advantages of both a trigger switching means and inertia switching .means with none of the disadvantages of either type.

.A broad object of. my invention is the provision for controlling electric circuits inA response to both inertia and mechanical actuation.

vAnother somewhat more specific object is the provision of switching means operable only in response to the successive ,actuation of an extraneouslyapplied mechanicalforce and an inertia force.

A more specic `objectof -my invention is the provision .ofa pivoted trigger lever having an v2, unoperated position and an operated position and an inertia responsive switch interlocked with said trigger lever to prevent operation of the inertia responsive switch in `response to inertia except when said trigger lever is rin its operated position.

Other objects and advantages willbecome more apparent from a study of the following specication and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a substantially vertical longitudinal sectional view of a switching device built in accordance with my invention; and

Fig, 2 is a substantially vertical transversesectional view of the switching device, taken along line vII-II, as yshown in Fig. l.

In'Fig. 1, a 'fragment of the after-body I of a torpedo is shown vto which a suitablesupporting ring2 is welded at 3. Mounted on the horizontal shoulder 4 is the outer upper generally circular flange 5 of the well 6.

The well 6 is generally rectangular in shape having the parallel side walls 'I and 8, the forward wall I0, and the aft end wall 9. The bottom of the well is provided with an opening II. At the sides of the opening, the well 6 is provided with agpair of downwardly .projecting bearing ears I2. These ears provide a seat or bearing for the .relatively Vsmall arbor I3. This arbor I3 vprovides a bearing pivot for the vertically disposed' lever I4. This lever I4 has a .single rodlike, or bar-like lower end projecting a desirable distance below the bearing pivot, or arbor, I3 and above thegarbor I3 and within the well is provided with a bifurcated, or U-shaped end. The upper ends of the legs of the U are provided with aligned l trouser slots I5 open at the top.

.A generally tubular bellows having an upper ring I6 hermetically secured to the bellows and a bottom closure I'I is disposed over the downwardly projecting end of lever I4. The upper ring It is braced, or soldered, or otherwise hermetically secured to the well so that the medium within the well enters the bellows but the bellows and well provide a-n effective barrier against flow of the medium vwithin the well to the outside oi the well and thus the inside of the torpedo,

To the closure I'I, a resiliently mounted mov,- able electric contact I8 is secured by any suitable means as shown. This movable Contact I8 cooperates with a stationary contact I9 suitably secured, as shown, to the well 6. y

Angular :movement ofthe lever vIII thus causes these contactsto either vclose oropen depending on the arrangement Aof the contacts and the direction of angular motion of lever I4. -For the particular showing made in Fig. 1, clockwise-rotation of lever I4 about the arbor I3 causes Aengagement between contacts I8 and I9. e

Substantially directly above the opening. I I, a pair 'of stub shafts 20 and 2| are positioned` in the side Walls I and 8, respectively. Side wall 8 `is,

provided with a. hole entirely through the wall so that both stub shaft holes may be drilled and reamed from the outside. After drilling and reaming, the hole is sealed by a welded cap ZIA. Stub shafts 20 and 2| are then assembled from the inside. In making this assembly, the following steps are taken:

( 1) Pin 2| assembled in its hole.

(2) Pin 20 and snap ring 20A are assembled in the holes in pendulous member 22.

(3) Pendulous member is inserted in cavity on pin 2 I.

(4) Pin 20 is thrust into its hole.

(5) Snap ring 20A is slid along pin 20 until it snaps into circular groove in pin 20, limiting lateral displacement of pendulous member and washer.

Pivotally mounted on the stub shafts, as described above, is the inertia responsive, or pendulous member 22. This pendulous member is generally sector-shaped and formed into bifurcated upper ends 23 and 24 so that an over-center spring 26 may be disposed between the bifurcations. The upper ends of the bifurcations carry a bearing pin for a suitable roller 25.

The forward edges of the ends 23 and 24 are provided with bearing ears 21 for mounting the pin 28. At the upper region of the aft end wall 9, I provide an apertured projection 30 for receiving the upper aft end of tension spring 26, the lower forward end being secured to the pin 26. Th'e disposition of pin 28 and projection is such that the direction of the spring force falls above the axis of the stud shafts 20 and 2| when the pendulous member is in the position shown.

The tension spring thus biases the pendulous member when in the position shown for clockwise rotation about the bearings.

From the foregoing disclosure, it is apparent that acceleration of the well 6 toward the left, in the absence of the mechanical elements hereinafter discussed, will cause counterclockwise rotation of the pendulous member 22 and in so doing the pin 28 moves below the line determined by the projection 30 and the axis of the stud shafts 2U and 2| so that the pendulous member 22 will move with a snap action in a counterclockwise direction as soon as the spring 26 moves over-center.

The bifurcated ends 23 and 24 of the pendulous member 22 are provided with outwardly projecting crank pins 3| which rest in the aligned slots I5 in the ends of the U of the upper portion of lever I4. From this construction, it is apparent that over-center actuation of pendulous member 22 will effect snap action of contacts I8 and I9 through the operative interconnection between the pendulous member 22 and lever I4. Lower end of fork lever I4 is pivotally connected to U-shaped member |4A, which extends through and is welded water-tight to bottom closure I1. This pivot substantially reduces the force required to flex the bellows, by eliminating a reverse curvature of the bellows which would occur if the pivot were not provided.

To prevent accelerations of the well 6 toward the left or that general region, from rotating the pendulous member 22 except when such acceleration is caused by the I'lring of the torpedo from the firing tube, I provide latching means that lock the pendulous member in the non-operated position as long as the latching means are in the non-operated position.

'I'he latching means comprise a removable base 32 snugly and firmly fitting in a specific position into the top or flange construction of the well 6.

This base 32 has a pair of depending bearing lugs 33 and 34 carrying the shaft 35. A trigger lever 36 is rigidly secured to the shaft 35 near the lug 34 and projects outwardly beyond the outer surface of the torpedo so that it may be actuated in a clockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 1, by a suitable dog in the ring tube for the torpedo.

The right-hand end, as seen in Fig. 2, of shaft 35 carries a cam arm 31 having an arcuate end engaging the roller 25. The position of the cam arm 31 is such that as long as the trigger lever 36 is in its non-operated position-the position shown-the pendulous member 22 is locked against operation.

The aft region of the trigger lever 36 is provided with a cam surface 38 having concave depressions at 39 and 40 for coaction with the spring biased steel ball 4|. This ball 4| holds the trigger lever 36 in the position shown until actuated by the dog in the firing tube at the time of firing of the torpedo. After the torpedo is red from the tube, the ball 4| enters depression 39 to hold the trigger lever flush with the outside surface of the after body of the torpedo.

As an added precaution against accidental operation of the trigger lever, a locking pin 42 having the seal 43 may be disposed in a suitable opening in the trigger lever 36. When the torpedo is in position to be red, the pin 42 is removed. The pin 42 may also be made of frangible material so that it shears oi when the torpedo is fired.

To make certain that the pendulous member remains in its operated position after firing, a latch Strip 44 is pivoted at 45 and a soft spring, preferably having a limited expansion, biases the strip for counterclockwise rotation. When the pendulous member has moved to its extreme counterclockwise position, the strip 44 engages the forward lower corner of member 22 thus latching it in position. Pin 29 is inserted in the forward face of the pendulous member, and limits the upward travel of latch 44,

When my special starting switching means are used for exercise runs, the pendulous member may be reset manually by removing the base 32 and, by a suitable rod depressing strip 44 while the pendulous member is positioned to its non-operated position. The base 32, with the trigger lever 36 in its non-operated position, is then restored to position.

While I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that others, after having had the benefit oi my teachings, may devise apparatus for accomplishing the same or similar results. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular showing made, but wish to be limited only by the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim as my invention:

l. An electric switching device of particular utility with the starting equipment of a torpedo having a cenventional shell, said switching device comprising in combination, a well adapted at its upper edges to be hermetically secured to the torpedo shell, a lever pivoted in the well and having one end, when said lever is in non-operated position, projecting beyond the surface of the shell and the other end provided with a cam, a pendulous inertia member pivoted in the well and restrained against movement by said cam when said lever is in non-operated position regardless of acceleration ol' said well, and switch contacts operable by said pendulous inertia/member upon simultaneous operation of said lever and acceleration of said well.

2. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a mounting barrier having an opening therein and at its perimeter being hermetically rigidly secured to the torpedo housing, a flexible diaphragm closing the opening so that one side is exposed to the medium on the outside of the torpedo housing and the other side exposed to the medium on the inside oi the torpedo housing, a stationary electric Contact mounted on the barrier on the side exposed to the medium in the torpedo, a movable contact on the diaphragm, an inertia responsive element movably mounted on the barrier for moving the iaphragm to operate the movable contact, a lever pivoted on the barrier to be operable from the outside of the torpedo housing, said lever having an element which, when said lever is in one of its two operating positions, locks said inertia responsive element in non-operated position, whereby operation of both said lever and inertia responsive device is necessary to cause operation of said movable contacts.

3. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a mounting barrier mounted in the torpedo housing having a iiexible diaphragm region, a movable contact on the diaphragm region, a stationary contact cooperatively mounted with reference to the movable contact, an inertia responsive member movably mounted on the barrier, a pivotally mounted latching lever adapted, when in one position, to lool: said inertia responsive member against movement and when in a second position adapted to release said inertia member, whereby operation of both the lever and the inertia responsive member is necessary to effect operation of said movable contact,

4. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a well having flanges at its upper end for rigid hermetic attachment to the torpedo housing and having an opening at its lower end, a iiexible generally tubular bellows at its upper end hermetically secured to the edges of the opening in the well, a closure for the lower end of the bellows, a pendulous inn ertia member pivoted in the well, a crank arm on the member, a tension spring at one of its ends secured to the well and at its other end so secured to the inertia member as to tend to rotate said pendulous member in a clockwise direction, a stop for limiting the rotation of the pendulous member in a clockwise direction so that the spring force i's directed just to one side of the pivot oi the pendulous member, said inertia member, when operated by acceleration of the well in a given direction, adapted to rotate counterclockwise to transfer the direction of the spring force to the other side of the pivot of the inertia member whereby said inertia member is biased to rotate in a counterclockwise direction by said spring, a trigger lever having a latching cam adapted to prevent operation of the inertia member except when said trigger lever has been actuated, a bellows actuating lever pivoted intermediate its ends in the Well having one end secured to the closure and the other end disposed to be actuated by the crank-arm of the inertia member.

5. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a well having outwardly directed anges at its upper end for con nection in the face of the torpedo housing, a trigger lever pivoted in the well and disposed to be actuated from a non-operated position to an cperated position upon firing of the torpedo, a pivoted pendulous member mounted in the well, a Spring mounted in the well for over-center actuation of said pendulous member, a cam on the trigger lever for holding 'said pendulous member in one over-center position when not in operated position, whereby operation of both said trigger lever' and said pendulous member through acceleration o-f said Iwell is necessary to effect movement of said pendulous member, and electric switch contacts operatively coupled to the pendulous member.

6. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a well having outwardly directed flanges at its upper end for connection in the face of the torpedo housing, a trigger lever pvoted in the well and disposed to be actuated from a non-operated position to an operated position upon firing of the torpedo, a pivoted pendulous member mounted in the well, a spring mounted in the well for over-center actuation of said pendulous member, a cam on the trigger lever for holding said pendulous member in one over-center position when not in operated position, whereby operation of both said trigger lever and said pendulous member through acceleration of said well is necessary to effect movement of said pendulous member, a diaphragm at the base of the Well, closing said well, an operating member at one end secured to the diaphragm and at its other end operatively coupled to the pendulous member, and electric contacts disposed on the side opposite to the side of the diaphragm to which the operating member is 'secured to be operated by movements transmitted to the diaphragm upon actuation of the trigger lever and acceleration of the well.

7. An electric switching device of particular, though not exclusive, utility with the starting equipment and propulsion equipment of a torpedo having a conventional casing, said switching device comprising in combination, a well-shaped base mounted in the housing having a ilexible diaphragm closing its bottom, a stationary electric contact mounted on the outside of the base adjacent the diaphragm, a movable contact mounted on the diaphragm adapted to cooperate with said stationary contact, a pendulous member, a spring for over-center operation of said pendulous member upon angular movement of the pendulous member by acceleration of the base, and a trigger lever having a non-operated position before firing of the torpedo and an operated position after firing of the torpedo, said trigger lever having an element for preventing angular motion of the pendulous member except when said trigger lever is in its operated position.

WILLIAM B. ELMER. 

